This Homeless Man’s Dog Helped Him Transform From Addict to World Class Artist

For years, pedestrians passed homeless East London street artist, John Dolan, with little thought, some tossing a coin into his cup. Occasionally, he would sell one of his pen-and-ink drawings of city architecture for a few bucks, but buyers probably didn’t suspect that their money would Support Dolan’s heroin habit.

All that changed when a fellow homeless woman gave Dolan a Staffordshire Bull Terrier puppy named George. Suddenly, the artist had a living-being to nurture and to give him the love he needed to turn away from drugs. He found a new muse in the pup, and started drawing him along with street scenes. Though his most famous drawing is quite detailed, most were sketched quickly to capture elements of George’s personality.

Speaking of George’s personality, it wasn’t always the greatest. Before meeting Dolan, he was an aggressive dog who was afraid of people and chased cats. Clearly, he found a kindred spirit in Dolan, and the two were able to rehabilitate each other and transform into their best selves. It’s no secret that dogs are therapeutic, and, like many problem dogs, George just needed the right guardian to unlock the loving nature that exists in most animals.

Thanks to George, Dolan got his big break. Gallery owner Richard Howard-Griffin approached him and invited him to hold an exhibition last September, which he did to great success. Soon, he’ll be heading over to the United States for another show in Los Angeles, and has written a book — “John and George: The Dog Who Changed My Life” — about the pet he calls his guardian angel. He now earns £3,000 to 4,000 (about $5,000 to $6,800) for his drawings, but he’ll never forget the dog who helped him make it to the top.

You can see John Dolan’s work on the Howard Griffin Gallery page, here.

Image source: Huffington Post